UK News: Child support system set for major overhaul

The Government will today propose the biggest overhaul of child maintenance for a decade. One in five children from a broken home loses touch with a parent within three years.

Bomb threat man held

A MAN was arrested by police today after he broke into a shop in London's Regent Street and threatened to blow himself up.

He was detained following a four-hour stand-off with armed officers that brought a large part of central London centre to a standstill early this morning.

Government ready to axe default retirement age

EMPLOYERS will no longer be able to force staff to retire at the age of 65 from October, the Government will announce today.

Employment Relations Minister Ed Davey was set to herald the end of the default retirement age, fulfilling a coalition agreement pledge.

Age campaigners have long called for it to be scrapped. But, while less than a third of firms still insist on people leaving on their 65th birthday, there are still concerns among business leaders.

Weather hits Tesco growth

SUPERMARKET giant Tesco today said severe winter weather hindered its Christmas trading performance as it posted modest 0.6 per cent like-for-like sales growth.

The UK's biggest supermarket said the heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures particularly hit its non-food offering as customers were unable to travel to its larger stores.

Blair to face Chilcot again

TONY Blair is to make his second appearance before the Iraq Inquiry on Friday, January 21.

The former premier, pictured, is one of a number of witnesses to be recalled to give evidence to the inquiry headed by former Whitehall mandarin Sir John Chilcot.

Oldham: Voters go to the polls in Oldham East and Saddleworth today in the first by-election test of the new parliament. Polls in the marginal seat have suggested Labour is on course to win comfortably in what would be a major electoral setback for the Liberal Democrats.

Devon: Zoo keepers have been shocked by the birth of a 5ft baby giraffe to a mother who kept her pregnancy hidden. The as-yet-unnamed calf was born at Paignton Zoo in Devon at 7.30am on Monday to first-time mother Sangha. Zoo keeper Jim Dicks said: "The birth has come as a bit of a surprise."